Monday, May 18, 2015

Scores

Here's an excerpt from another article worth reading:Police helicopters hovered over the Waco, Texas, sports bar and above a scattering of knives, guns, and dead bodies in the parking lot. Surrounding streets were closed off as authorities prepared for more outlaws to converge on the city....Earlier that day, about 200 bikers from at least five motorcycle gangs gathered at Twin Peaks, a restaurant known for its bikini-topped waitresses and, apparently, for its crew of motorcycle-riding regulars.But the scene turned into a gruesome turf war around 12:15 p.m., after a brawl inside the restroom spilled out into the bar and ended in the parking lot. On Monday morning, Waco police said 170 people were arrested and will face charges related to organized crime.
We've driven past that place more times than I can even count, because it's right off the interstate, easily visible as you're driving past. We always joke about the name, because it's basically a Hooter's clone.

It's ninety minutes from our house, roughly.

This was an incredible incident. The bar is in a standard strip mall (Panera Bread, Best Buy, Ross, Kohl's, etc.), and a fight inside the restaurant spilled outside and turned into a huge shootout.

[Editorial note: by the way, if any of you read an outraged opinion piece from one of the usual places about how this incident is indicative of the collapse of white culture and how white fathers have failed, please let me know.]

I met a guy years ago who was so memorable that I wrote down details of our conversation, then saved the file for future use. Incredibly, that day has arrived.

This fellow I met was a tow truck driver. He was huge and incredibly intimidating physically. Covered in tattoos.

Here are my notes, with only minor editing to protect his identity:Moved here from another state. 20+ years with same company. Driving the whole time. Started straight out of the Army.Moved to Austin when wife got job. Same company needed drivers. Not a recovery [repo] driver, but has friends who are. Did do private prop recovery in his previous state. People angry, wanting to bargain. 131.50. You're going to charge me the fifty cents? [a guy almost attacked him over fifty cents once.] Tries to reason with them. Knows how anger feels because he's an angry guy. Took classes to learn how to handle it.Seen some terrible wrecks. Makes you think about safe driving all the time for your kids. Wife gets on him all the time for driving too slow. Seen too many things.Says his girls don't know anything about his past because he's changed. Says they don't know he was a biker and beat up people for a living. Says that since he quit drinking and using he's a different person. Plus his Christianity makes him better able to deal with his anger.He's on call 24 hours a day. Goes out when he gets a call. Said the owner of his company said he was building him a new tow truck to thank him for all his years of service.Recovery is crazy. Said even people in wrecks are sometimes angry when he shows up. Still have adrenaline pumping. Says some think he wants to rip them off. Says no, I'm here to help you, not steal your money.Gentle. Soft-spoken.
When he was talking about his girls, he said, "Being a father makes you want to be a better person for your kids," and man, if there was ever a universal truth, that's it.

I remember this as a truly poignant conversation, because this fellow--who was downright scary-looking--was as soft-spoken and non-aggressive as almost anyone I've ever met.